Not too bad -- for Free Lance Star

This is a discussion on Not too bad -- for Free Lance Star within the In the News: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly forums, part of the The Back Porch category; Fredericksburg.com - We're afraid and armed WEAPONS PURCHASES ON RISE
Fredericksburg, VA
We're afraid and armed WEAPONS PURCHASES ON RISE
Business is booming at gun ...

The Virginia State Police, which tracks each request for a background check--required for each gun purchase--reported a 19 percent increase in 2008, including a 60 percent increase in November over the previous November.

The usual year-to-year increase is about 3 percent.

And Georgia Arms, a large ammunition-sales company, posted on its Web site that it has a "huge increase in demand" and that shipping times are five to seven weeks behind.

"Obama's been the best gun salesman," said Anthony Ball, owner of B&B Pawn Inc. in Fredericksburg. "Everybody's scared to death he's going to take away their guns."

A whole wall of Ball's store is lined with racks of rifles, shotguns and a few assault rifles. Cases are full of handguns, and Ball says guns are a big seller in his store.

While most of his stock is used guns, he says it's nearly impossible to get new guns or ammunition from suppliers. And when you can find new guns, prices are way up.

At The Range, a shooting range in Stafford County, it's the same story.

"I'm still waiting on guns I ordered back in December," said Paul Vincent. "It's hard to find ammo, it's hard to find the gun you want."

The Range doesn't sell a lot of handguns. It's more of a shooting range, but Vincent said interest in all of the Range's services has increased in the past few months.

The classes he offers--a basic how-to-shoot class for beginners, and the class required to get a concealed carry permit--have seen participation quadruple.

"Normally I just schedule one here and there," Vincent said. "Now it's every week."

Vincent said there's a surge in gun sales any time a Democrat gets elected president. People get paranoid, he said.

"We saw this during both of Clinton's elections. And Y2K," Vincent said.

Philip Van Cleave, of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, said he's definitely seen an increase in every aspect of the firearms business--gun sales, ammo sales and attendance at gun shows, where guns, ammunition and other items are sold.

"People have waited hours to get into a gun show," Van Cleave said. "Normally you'd be able to get in in a few minutes or just walk in."

A normal gun show in Northern Virginia, he said, would see 7,000 or 8,000 people. The last one had 17,000.

Interest in Van Cleave's organization has gone up as well--his 8,000-strong e-mail list is now at 11,000 and climbing.

Like Vincent and Ball, Van Cleave credits fears about possible restrictions on guns for spurring the interest in them, but he calls that one part of "the perfect storm, a series of things coming together."

One of the other things is fear about the economy.

People worry the economy might actually collapse.

Van Cleave said people think that would lead to civil unrest, and that they should have a gun in case they'd have to defend themselves and their homes.

Some people are also worried there will be another terrorist attack--one that could put government services, like police, out of commission.

It has all contributed to an uptick in sales that Van Cleave says started back around October and "went crazy in December."

The greater demand for guns and ammunition leads, of course, to less supply, but less supply also leads to greater demand. People get worried they won't be able to buy something later, and so they buy more of it now.

"It's a good problem" for those who sell guns and ammunition, Ball said. "I've got people coming in that I've never seen before. People buy a lot out of fear."

It seems the mainstream media are slowly shifting; I was shocked to see on ABC a news report im Miami of a neighbor witnessing a car burglary next door and holding the 2 robbers at gun point for the Police.
It was reported in a "pro self-defense" connotation; I was in shock.

The Virginia State Police, which tracks each request for a background
check--required for each gun purchase--reported a 19 percent increase
in 2008, including a 60 percent increase in November over the previous
November.

The usual year-to-year increase is about 3 percent.

And Georgia Arms, a large ammunition-sales company, posted on its Web
site that it has a "huge increase in demand" and that shipping times
are five to seven weeks behind.

"Obama's been the best gun salesman," said Anthony Ball, owner of B&B
Pawn Inc. in Fredericksburg. "Everybody's scared to death he's going
to take away their guns."

A whole wall of Ball's store is lined with racks of rifles, shotguns
and a few assault rifles. Cases are full of handguns, and Ball says
guns are a big seller in his store.

While most of his stock is used guns, he says it's nearly impossible
to get new guns or ammunition from suppliers. And when you can find
new guns, prices are way up.

At The Range, a shooting range in Stafford County, it's the same story.

"I'm still waiting on guns I ordered back in December," said Paul
Vincent. "It's hard to find ammo, it's hard to find the gun you want."

The Range doesn't sell a lot of handguns. It's more of a shooting
range, but Vincent said interest in all of the Range's services has
increased in the past few months.

The classes he offers--a basic how-to-shoot class for beginners, and
the class required to get a concealed carry permit--have seen
participation quadruple.

"Normally I just schedule one here and there," Vincent said. "Now it's
every week."

Vincent said there's a surge in gun sales any time a Democrat gets
elected president. People get paranoid, he said.

"We saw this during both of Clinton's elections. And Y2K," Vincent said.

Philip Van Cleave, of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, said he's
definitely seen an increase in every aspect of the firearms
business--gun sales, ammo sales and attendance at gun shows, where
guns, ammunition and other items are sold.

"People have waited hours to get into a gun show," Van Cleave said.
"Normally you'd be able to get in in a few minutes or just walk in."

A normal gun show in Northern Virginia, he said, would see 7,000 or
8,000 people. The last one had 17,000.

Interest in Van Cleave's organization has gone up as well--his
8,000-strong e-mail list is now at 11,000 and climbing.

Like Vincent and Ball, Van Cleave credits fears about possible
restrictions on guns for spurring the interest in them, but he calls
that one part of "the perfect storm, a series of things coming
together."

One of the other things is fear about the economy.

People worry the economy might actually collapse.

Van Cleave said people think that would lead to civil unrest, and that
they should have a gun in case they'd have to defend themselves and
their homes.

Some people are also worried there will be another terrorist
attack--one that could put government services, like police, out of
commission.

It has all contributed to an uptick in sales that Van Cleave says
started back around October and "went crazy in December."

The greater demand for guns and ammunition leads, of course, to less
supply, but less supply also leads to greater demand. People get
worried they won't be able to buy something later, and so they buy
more of it now.

"It's a good problem" for those who sell guns and ammunition, Ball
said. "I've got people coming in that I've never seen before. People
buy a lot out of fear."

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VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization
dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to
Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.

I think it would be kind of funny to find out people like Pelosi, Feinstein, Clinton, Schumer, and Holder own stock in Ruger or S&W.

I mean think about it: If anyone of them went out and bought say 100,000 shares of Ruger when it was selling for $4.36/share(11.21.08), then went in front of a bunch of reporters saying "hey, we're thinking of reinstating the AWB"